


Seeing Red

by PuppetMaster55



Series: Black and Blue and Blue and Black [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: BUT he's less of a mess than usual, Gen, I should actually add that tag to the main fic, Keith and Shiro are Adoptive Siblings, Keith swears a lot, Shiro (Voltron) is a Mess, this is an interlude to the main fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-18 08:00:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10612620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PuppetMaster55/pseuds/PuppetMaster55
Summary: Keith learns a bit about himself, and a bit about Shiro, when he and Shiro go to the Blade of Marmora base.Set during chapter 13 of Black to Blue.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I like Antok, and I couldn't fit this into a fic that's entirely Lance's POV.

Keith, above all else, was terrible at connecting with other people. He was blunt, and brash, and sometimes he didn't understand how anyone couldn't follow his simple explanations, and often it frustrated everyone around him, but it also frustrated him, that he could understand himself and everyone could understand everyone else but he couldn't fully understand them and they couldn't fully understand him.

It made being out here in space, being among a small group of people, feel nice. Red understood him completely, and Hunk and Pidge were strange but they talked enough about engineering and coding for Keith to understand that he would never fully understand them – he liked that about them, as much as he liked trying to piece together what it was they were talking about and liked when they started talking about whatever piece of the Castle they'd discovered without the expectation that Keith would understand, and Lance...

Lance was something entirely different. Lance was the most baffling puzzle, and Keith hated that he loved puzzles so much. He'd come to identify both Lances according to the wormhole, with the Lance before being all bluster and aggrivating, and the Lance after being the same sort of bluster, but with the calm patience that Keith envied in both Lances. He found that he liked the new Lance, liked the casual camaraderie they were growing into. He liked that Lance, the newer Lance, would explain things with such a calm patience but with faint amusement – amusement that was never directed at Keith.

It reminded Keith far too much of his dad.

In all honesty, it was that openness to the new Lance that made Keith open up about his suspicions like he did. The new Lance was quick to judge, but he was reasonable and understanding and was open to listening to Keith. It was something that Keith didn't realize he missed about his dad, having someone there who he could go to and just talk about what was bothering him without judgment, without feeling like he needed to hold anything back. He liked having someone like that in his life again.

Keith didn't want the new Lance to leave. He liked the new Lance, the Lance from another universe, too much to really want the old Lance, the Lance he knew belonged in this universe. It was selfish, probably the second most selfish thing he'd ever wanted in his life, but it was true. The Lance that was supposed to be there, Keith didn't think he could have the same kind of relationship with. Not like the Other Lance. So he wanted the new Lance to stay, despite knowing how selfish it was. He knew, and still he wanted it.

Just like how he'd brought his knife along, despite the orders not to bring any weapons. He wanted to know for sure, wanted the peace of mind that would come with knowing.

He wanted to be back in the Castle, instead of alone with Shiro, on a mission that he shouldn't be on.

“Do you really think that?” Keith asked, flying Red along the safe path given to them by the Blade of Marmora. At Shiro's questioning glance, he could almost hear Lance's voice, telling him to show his work. “Do you really think that I'm your second-in-command?”

Shiro blinked. “Well... you are, aren't you?” Shiro smiled, looking ahead, looking... lost in fond memory. “We know each other the best, and I know I can rely on you if something ever happens to me.”

“Can you stop talking like you're about to die?” Keith groaned. “Nothing's going to happen to you.”

Shiro's smile faded. Quietly, almost too quiet for Keith to hear, he said, “I'm not talking about dying.”

Keith gaped at Shiro. “Then what are you talking about?” At a growl from Red, Keith jerked the controls, dodging a meteor that flew into their path on its way to the black hole. “Shiro?”

“I meant what I said,” Shiro said instead, gripping the back of Keith's seat tightly. “I want you to lead Voltron if anything happens to me.”

Keith swallowed, his mouth dry. Tightening his grip on Red's controls, he opened his mouth to speak. He wanted to say no, wanted to say that he could never replace Shiro.

“What do you think is going to happen to you?” Keith said instead.

Shiro looked away from Keith, his face haunted. “It's complicated.”

“Then uncomplicate it,” Keith growled. “ _Nothing_ is going to happen to you, Shiro.”

“You don't know that,” Shiro replied, his voice faint. “This is a war. Bad things happen in a war.”

“Shiro,” Keith pressed, wishing he could stop piloting and give his full attention to Shiro. “Talk to me. Use your words.”

It was what Lance said to him, and he felt strange saying them back at Shiro. Usually it was the other way around. He wanted to stand up, wanted to grab Shiro and demand the truth, but...

_Patience yields focus_ , Keith reminded himself. 

“I...” Shiro grimaced, one hand reaching for his side – the same side that he'd injured against the witch. The hand dropped to his side. “It's complicated. Nothing you have to worry about.”

Keith sighed. Shiro, too, was a lot like his dad, in that he brushed off any of his own worries when Keith pried. “Can you at least tell me about Lance?”

Shiro stiffened. “What about him?”

“Why are you such a dick with him?” Keith asked.

“I'm not being a dick.” Shiro stared down at Keith in surprise. “Especially not to Lance.”

“Like fuck you're not,” Keith grumbled. “Shiro, what was all that? Why would you even say that? We're _teammates_ , you're not the commanding officer here. And why am I here? Why wouldn't you choose Lance for this? He's a lot better at making friends with everyone we meet than I am.”

Shiro sighed. “I figured speed and agility were more important getting there, and the Red Lion could do that.” He paused. “Also, I saw the temperature readings. The base is orbiting the star, and with the high temperature it's giving off, the Red Lion is built to withstand that.”

At the back of Keith's mind, Red rumbled in mild displeasure. Keith snorted in agreement.

“Fuck, Shiro, that's the worst load of shit you've ever dropped.” Keith shook his head. “Red isn't reading any temperature extremes in our path. You've been here the whole ride; nothing's come up that I really had to carefully pilot around. If it really was that bad that we'd need Red – which it _isn't_ , Red's telling me it isn't – then it would be too hot for the Blade of Marmora to even have a base here.”

Keith breathed out. He had channeled Lance, had said what he knew Lance would say.

“So,” Keith finished. “What's the real reason you wanted me here instead of Lance?”

Shiro groaned. “Keith, you know Lance. He would flirt with one of the Blade and then jeopardize the possibility of an alliance.”

Keith glanced up at Shiro in disbelief. “Yeah, I know Lance. I've been talking with him a lot more than you have. I've also been on missions with him. He's all business when it comes time for action. He's a goofball and a flirt but he's also smart. Why can't you see that?”

“I...” Shiro grimaced. “It's complicated.”

“Would you stop fucking saying that?” Keith cried, frustrated. Space distorted ahead of them as they approached the base. “For fuck's sake, words are your friend. Use them. Talk to me. And if you won't talk to me, then talk to Lance. Actually _talk_ to him. And start with a fucking apology.”

Shiro stared at Keith in surprise, before looking away in shame. “I... you're right.” Shiro grinned. “You know, this does make you a good leader. Conflict resolution is an important trait in leading.”

“Avoiding conflict is a better trait,” Keith muttered. “If you name anyone your second-in-command, you should name Lance. He's a lot better at this whole talking to people thing than I am.”

“I think you're doing pretty good.” Shiro gave Keith an appraising look. Keith gave Shiro a flat look.

“You're imagining me in your armor, aren't you?”

“Black suits you,” Shiro commented.

“Shut your quiznack,” Keith grumbled. He froze, his words sinking in as Shiro grinned at him.

“I don't think you're using that word correctly.”

“Dammit Shiro!”

* * *

Keith peeled off his armor, not taking his eyes off of the broad-shouldered Galra standing before him.

“Are they tough?” he asked, looking up at the mask. “The trials?”

“Knowledge or death,” the Galra replied, his tail flicking behind him. “We would not apply such a term if the trials were easy.”

Keith snorted. “I got that much.” He nodded at the tail. “I've never seen a Galra with a tail before.”

The Galra tilted his head. “And I've never seen a species such as yours before your Black Paladin appeared in the arena. It doesn't mean anything.”

“Aren't you going to ask me?” Keith paused, setting his armor aside as he reached for the catsuit they'd presented him with, insisting that he wear it to take the trials. “About where I got the knife.”

“How you got that blade doesn't matter to me.” The Galra fixed Keith with a hard stare – or, Keith _thought_ he did. It was hard to tell with the mask on. “What matters is your claim to it. Only a Blade can own one of those. If you succeed, you will become a fellow Blade.”

Keith glanced at Shiro, glanced at his armor. He slipped the catsuit on, surprised at how snugly it fit. A bit too snugly, in Keith's opinion – it pinched at his skin, especially at the back of his neck. He grimaced. “I hope that doesn't mean I have to wear this all the time.”

“The suit is only for the trials,” the Galra replied. “You can wear what you like, once you become a Blade.”

“What does that even _mean_? ” Keith muttered.

“The trials will explain,” the Galra answered. He gestured down a hallway. “This way.”

Keith looked over at Shiro. He picked up his knife, gripping it tightly as he gestured at the discarded armor. “Keep it safe,” he called out. “I'm coming back for it.”

Shiro looked like he wanted to say something, but nodded. He jogged over, picking up Keith's armor, holding it close. Worry weighed heavily on Shiro's face.

“You better explain everything after this,” Shiro warned, his voice uneven. “You owe me that much.”

“I promise I'll come back to you,” Keith replied, the shadow of the trials pressing down on him. He wanted to tell Shiro everything, wanted to explain about his mom and the knife, but he couldn't.. Not after everything the Galra did to Shiro. “And you promise me that you'll talk to Lance. Apologize to him. He's a part of your crew, just like me.”

He's family too, Keith wanted to say.

“I'll talk to him,” Shiro agreed, his voice wavering. “I'll apologize, _quiznack_ , I'll name him my successor if that's what it takes for you to come back.”

Keith nodded, not trusting his voice. Shiro jerkily nodded, taking a moment to pull himself together before returning to Kolivan's side. Kolivan gestured down a separate hallway, and Shiro hesitantly followed after him.

Keith turned toward the Galra. He turned toward the Blade, following him down the hallway. They stopped before a door. Keith swallowed, his grip on the knife white-knuckle tight.

“When you are ready, enter,” the Blade said. “The trails will begin once you step through. You are meant to go through this door.”

“Do you have a name?” Keith asked. “Because I keep calling you Galra in my head and it feels... kind of offensive? Like, my name is Keith.”

The Blade's tail flickered in annoyance. “Names are irrelevant to the Blade. If you are successful, you may call me a fellow Blade. If you are not, you will not call me anything.”

Keith made a face. “That's a load of – uh.” Keith paused, aware that the Galra, like most of the universe, didn't know any Earth swears. “That's quiznacking stupid,” Keith said instead. “How can you recognize each other if you don't know your names. Also, Kolivan gave us a name.”

The Blade's tail twitched, and he tilted his head. “I am known as Antok. I am Kolivan's second.”

Keith nodded, letting out a breath. “Okay. Hi, Antok.”

“We're already acquainted with one another,” Antok replied. “There's no need for greetings.”

Keith gave Antok a dry stare. “When I survive, I'm introducing you to my team. You're going to learn humor.” He turned toward the door. “Wish me luck.”

“Luck has no use beyond this point,” Antok said. “Remember: you are meant to go through this door.”

Keith nodded, and stepped through the door.

* * *

“Okay, so that knowledge or death thing was a load of quiznack, wasn't it?” Keith asked as Shiro carried him into Red's cockpit, glaring at Antok and Kolivan.

“It wasn't,” Kolivan dryly replied, carrying Keith's armor.

“The trials test your resolve,” Antok continued. “Knowledge or death. You are presented with opposition, who demand knowledge, and you have a choice. Either give them the knowledge on the Blade, or die.”

Keith paused, thinking back on how every fight had the same phrase. “Wait, you weren't asking me to give up the _knife_?” Keith scoffed. “Are you quiznacking serious right now?”

“Keith, focus,” Shiro admonished. “We need you to pilot Red. I can't.”

“You could,” Keith replied, recalling something Lance said early on. “The Black Paladin can pilot any of the other Lions. And they can use any of the other bayards.”

“Where did you learn that?” Shiro asked, carefully seating himself in Red's seat and settling Keith in his lap.

“Lance mentioned it,” Keith replied. He paused, looking back at Shiro. “You're... alright with this? Me being Galra?”

“I'm coping,” Shiro replied. “Pilot Red. We can talk later.”

“I'd rather talk now,” Keith replied, but reached for the controls anyway. He winced, and Shiro reached out, wrapping his hands around Keith's. Red lurched forward, moving away from the base, moving back toward the Castle. Keith glanced at Antok. “If the blade only activates with someone of Galra blood, then why didn't I activate it earlier?”

Antok shared a look with Kolivan, who tilted his head in concession.

“The knife is a weapon and an identifier,” Antok explained, “but it is still merely an object. It will not activate unless the wielder understands that the Blade is about conviction, not anything physical. Even without the knife, a member of the Blade does not stop being a member.”

“So... when I stopped caring about the knife, that's when it chose to activate?” Keith glanced at Antok's waist, where his knife was stored.

“It activated when you acknowledged you place in the grander scheme,” Antok answered, sounding annoyed that he was the one explaining and not Kolivan. Keith looked over at Antok, who, Keith was sure, was giving Kolivan a pointed stare beneath his mask. “Your identity is not as important as the cause you fight for. Now that you are a Blade, it does not define who you are, but what you stand for. The values that you represent and the conviction toward your cause are what brings a blade to activate, and are the lesson that must be presented. Knowledge, or death.”

“The Blades you went against are among our most skilled,” Kolivan added. “You had no hope of winning against any of them, and any one of them could have killed you if they were so ordered. However, if we killed every recruit that walked in the door, then we wouldn't have much of a cause, now would we.” Kolivan chuckled at Keith's indignant squawk. “No, you were in no danger of dying. You would fight until you collapsed, at which point the suit would show you what you most desired. If you embraced it, you would fail the trials and we would send you away – minus the knowledge of the Blade and our whereabouts, of course.”

“Wait, I would have forgotten this whole thing if I stayed to find out about my mom?” Keith demanded, and Shiro jerked the controls to avoid a meteor. Keith looked away, and began to focus on piloting Red. “I still want to know.”

“And one day you will,” Kolivan conceded. “However, the trials are about whether you can keep the knife and become a Blade. They are not about gaining knowledge about oneself. You chose to walk away from what you believed was your goal. That is the true trial, to accept that you are not fighting for yourself.”

“We should call the Castle,” Shiro announced. “Let them know that we're not returning alone, and to ready a cryopod for you.”

“I'm fine,” Keith insisted, and gaped in betrayal when even Red didn't believe him. “It's just a bunch of flesh wounds, I wasn't actually going to die!”

Shiro gave him a flat stare. Keith huffed.

“Fine!” Keith grumbled. He reached out to call the Castle, wincing when it aggravated the wound on his shoulder. Shiro took Keith's hand, gently setting it back on the control as he reached out to call the Castle.

* * *

The call didn't take long, and Keith ended it when Shiro was about to blurt out his Galra heritage in a phone call of all things.

“Lance _knew_?” Shiro gaped at Keith in disbelief. “You told him and not me?”

“You...” Keith guiltily looked at Kolivan and Antok. “Shiro, the Galra have done a lot of bad things to you. I didn't think you'd– I figured you would–”

“What?” Shiro shook his head, still processing. “That I would hate you? That I would leave you? Keith, you know I wouldn't.”

“But I _don't_ know that,” Keith groaned. _Use your words_ , a voice that sounded suspiciously like Lance, but felt far too much like Red, whispered in the back of his mind. “I didn't know that for sure. And the others... Pidge's family was your crew to Kerberos, and they're still out there. Hunk... you saw how he was with the Balmera. Allura and Coran lost their _entire planet_ to Zarkon, and you remember how Allura was when we met Ulaz. Lance... he approached me and he's the most open. I could trust that he wouldn't immediately treat me differently.”

“But you couldn't trust me,” Shiro quietly admitted, looking away, looking like he wasn't all there.

“The Galra did a lot of bad to you, Shiro,” Keith said, feeling far too guilty. “I– I couldn't tell you about this.”

“Will you tell the others?” Shiro asked. Keith glanced at Kolivan and Antok.

“I kind of have to,” Keith sighed. “I'm pretty much the only reason we have this alliance.”

“You are _entirely_ the reason we have this alliance,” Kolivan confirmed. “If you had not brought your blade, you would have been sent away under strict threat not to divulge information on our base or the Blade or Marmora.”

“Way to make a guy feel special,” Keith muttered, directing Red into the main hangar.

“Lance is rubbing off on you,” Shiro groaned.

“Is that such a bad thing?” Keith asked, raising an eyebrow as he slumped against Shiro. “Remember your promise. I came back, now you have to apologize and actually talk to him.”

“I remember, and I will.” Shiro scooped Keith up in his arms, who protested the act, and walked out to meet the team, Kolivan and Antok at their heels. “But first, let's get you fixed up.”

 


End file.
